


Poor Dean

by ZoyciteM



Series: The Poor Sammy Series [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Broken Dean, Broken Sam, Broken Sam Winchester, Flashbacks, Happy Ending, M/M, Protective Castiel, Protective Gabriel, Psychological Trauma, Recovery, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-05-06 21:25:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5431304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoyciteM/pseuds/ZoyciteM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "Poor Sammy".  This isn't going to make a lick of sense, if you don't read that one first.</p><p>This is the fallout, after Poor Sammy ends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Seriously, don't read this if you haven't read Poor Sammy. Yes, I know Poor Sammy is long, but seriously, if you want this to make an iota of sense, go read Poor Sammy first.
> 
> Y'all asked for it, so here it is.

Dean remembered waking up. He remembered being split in two. He remembered being shoved into some sort of cage.

He was walking and talking, but _it wasn't him_.

He watched Sammy dose him with consecrated blood, and felt the bars on the cage weaken. He struggled and screamed.

He was horrified as he heard himself, in his own head. The voice was his, but... but it was the demon, the demon he had woken as.

“You're not going anywhere, Dean. I run this show now.”

Dean gasped, “No!” He fought against the cage, until he was exhausted and his hands bled.

He watched, as what he had become captured Sam, and captured Cas.

He cowered in a corner, trying to cover his head, as the demon tortured and raped Sam over and over and over again. He heard everything. Saw everything. After all, it was his ears, his eyes, his body. Every one of Sam's twitches, his pleas, his whimpers, his screams, tore Dean's soul into pieces.

Every drop of Sam's blood he spilled stained his own soul.

The demon liked to laugh at Dean, while he tortured his brother. “Come on. Little Sammy feels _great_ on our cock. Admit it.”

Dean rocked back and forth in his corner, his mind overwhelmed with the horrors that he was inflicting on his little brother.

_Sammy._

Until one day, it stopped. 

Dean was in a cage, for real.

The demon ranted and screamed its frustration, but Dean could finally look without being afraid.

There was no one here for the demon to use his body to rape or torture. The demon tried to get his hands on his angel captors, but they were excellent at avoiding his grasp.

And then, one day, Sam and Cas came to visit.

Dean looked frantically at Sam, trying to ascertain if he was okay, while the demon taunted him. Castiel watched with narrow eyes.

Dean's chest puffed with pride, as Sammy denied the demon's hold over him. _No, Sammy, never a toy. My brave little brother. I'm so, so sorry._

 _Now just figure out how to get me the hell out of here, Sammy._ Dean glanced around at his two layers of bars.

 

*

 

The demon swore revenge on Crowley. He swore that it was Crowley's fault, somehow, that his sweet little arrangement he had come crashing down.

Dean was sickened. All he could see was Sam's blood on the glossy white floor. All he could hear was his little brother's screams, on loop, over and over in his head.

Dean stared as Gabriel came into view, outside the cell.

“Hey, champ. How's imprisonment treating you?”

Dean blocked out the demon's taunts and threats. He screamed as loud as he could, “GABRIEL!!”

Gabriel flinched, and looked a little closer at him.

The demon continued uninterrupted.

“Please, Gabe, please!! Get me out of here! Help me!!” Dean yelled.

Gabriel turned and left without saying a word, cutting off the demon in mid-rant, who cursed him.

 

*

 

“Oh, Cassie...”

Gabriel popped into the lounge of the bunker, behind the couch where Sam and Castiel were watching a movie. Sam jumped about a foot, straight up, in Castiel's arms.

“I know you two lovebirds need your time alone, but I need a word in private with Cassie.” Gabriel smiled apologetically at Sam. Sam nodded shakily, disentangling himself from the angel.

Castiel shot Gabriel a dark look. Gabriel winked back at him, and the two angels vanished from the bunker.

They were alone, in the middle of a seemingly endless field of golden wheat.

“What?” Castiel was a little abrupt, uncomfortable with leaving Sam alone for any length of time.

“You know, I went to see Deano, eh?”

“And??”

Gabriel's eyes were wide and serious. “There's two of him in there, Cassie.”

Castiel froze, absolutely still. “What?”

Gabriel's hands sketched shapes in the air, a sphere. “There's the demon, yeah? The one he woke up as. But the old Dean, from before, _he's still in there, Cas._ ” His hands drew a smaller sphere within the bigger one. “Trapped. Held, by the demon's power.” Gabriel's hands fell limp, and he sighed. “He's screaming, Cas. The part of Dean, trapped inside? Is screaming.”

Castiel actually wavered, unbalanced by the shock. Gabriel steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. “Are... are you sure?”

Gabriel nodded. “I could hear him.”

Castiel frowned. “I heard nothing.”

Gabriel forced his wings to manifest, spreading six beautiful, golden tawny wings wide. “Archangel powers, little bro.” He flexed his arms, while he was at it.

Castiel rolled his eyes at Gabriel's theatrics, but certainly admitted that Gabriel possessed powers that Castiel himself did not.

Gabriel dismissed his wings, and brought a hand up to his mouth. He chewed on a fingernail. “So... what're we gonna do?”

“We can't just _leave_ Dean in there. If he's trapped, as you say, we must perform the ritual of sanctified blood again.” Castiel looked gravely at Gabriel.

“There's still the mark...” Gabriel looked uncomfortable.

“I know. We'll deal with that problem when we have to. First, we free Dean from the grip of the demon.”

 

*

 

Gabriel and Castiel eventually returned to Heaven's prison. They bound Dean tightly to a table in chains carved with Enochian symbols. The demon threatened all manner of tortures for them.

“Is he still in there, Gabriel?” Castiel ignored the demon.

Gabriel concentrated and frowned. “He's there, but he's quiet.”

“You'll never have him. I'll end him before you get the chance.”

Castiel continued to ignore the demon, hoping the threats were empty, and injected Dean with the first shot of sanctified blood.

 

*

 

The demon snarled at Dean - he'd never heard it make a noise like that. Dean continued to cower in his corner, his arms over his head, rocking.

Sam's blood, Sam's screams. His little brother, taking his first tottering steps towards him.

“They're... they're trying to _rescue_ you.” 

Dean uncurled a little, trying to listen. He heard Gabe and Cas, talking quietly. He climbed slowly to his feet, and pushed against the bars.

They seemed to have lost a little of their substance. Dean barely dared to hope.

_Come on, guys..._

“Never. This... this body, this vessel, is _mine_. I'll kill you, snap every bone in your neck, before I let them drive me out.”

Somehow, the demon's voice seemed a little tenuous.

“How's that sanctified blood feel, you unholy prick! You're going to fucking burn, for what you did to my brother. If I ever find you, I'll burn you myself. I'll fucking end you!!” Dean shook the bars again, feeling them give a little.

The demon snarled again, wordlessly.

 

*

 

Gabriel chuckled, his hand pressed against Dean's forehead, as his body writhed against its restraints. “He's fighting, Cassie. Oooh, the potty mouth on Deano.” Gabriel opened his eyes and grinned at Castiel.

“How much more, Gabriel?” Castiel fixed another injection, barely dared to hope that this would work.

Gabriel closed his eyes and concentrated. “Not much. Not much more, now.”

 

*

 

Everything was black.

One moment, Dean had been railing against the demon, yanking at the bars, and now, it was all gone.

He tried opening his eyes, and found Gabriel and Castiel looking down at him.

“Dean?” Castiel's voice was wary.

“Hey, Deano.” Gabriel winked and smiled.

Dean burst into tears.

 

*

 

Dean hadn't said a single word, not one, since they freed him from the demon. Tears intermittently slid down his cheeks.

Castiel had released him from the chains, and sat with him, but Dean simply stared, wide-eyed and unseeing. All Castiel could feel from him was terrible, terrible pain.

Castiel looked up at Gabriel, despairing. “Is.. is he there?”

Gabriel frowned, and nodded. “Visions. He's seeing, remembering, what the demon did to Sammy. He can't seem to stop.”

“Dean.” Castiel put his hand on Dean's shoulder. Dean didn't even react. “Dean. Can you hear me?” No response. Castiel sighed.

“Look, go back to Sam, Cassie. He needs you. Let me do this, baby bro. This is beyond your pay grade.” Gabriel took a deep breath, and concentrated.

Castiel nodded and, with one sad look back at Dean, vanished.

 

*

 

The blood poured, and Sam trembled, and Dean was the one holding the whip. He tried, so hard, and couldn't stop. Sammy bled and screamed and begged, and Dean couldn't stop.

He felt a gentle hand on his arm, and spun to see who it was.

“G-Gabe?” Gabriel stood, completely at ease, smiling slightly.

“Hey, Deano. I'm not here to hurt you this time, buddy.”

Dean turned back to Sam, watched him sob and shudder, his blood pooling on the ground.

“Deano. Listen.” Dean felt fingers on his chin, and his face was turned to Gabriel's. “This isn't real, Dean, this is a memory.” 

“M-memory?” But Sam was _right there_. Dean looked down at the blood-caked whip in his hand.

“You're kinda stuck here, man. We got the demon out, but you're stuck reliving what he did to your brother.”

The scene changed, and Dean had Sam over the table, fucking into his bruised and broken body, staring down at the blood coating his cock.

“Whoah, _whoah_ , that is _way_ more than I _ever_ wanted to see of either of you.” Gabriel covered his eyes. He groped towards Dean and grabbed his shoulder, and gave him a little shake. He peeked through his fingers. “This isn't real, Dean. Please, stop.”

Dean glanced down again. Sam's tightness sure felt real. _His brother, he had raped his brother, over and over..._

Dean staggered backwards away from Sam, and Sam simply vanished. The entire room vanished, leaving Dean and Gabriel in faint greyness.

“I'm... I'm stuck? None of this is real? How... how do I get out, Gabe?”

Gabriel held out his hand. “You trust me.”

Dean took it, and everything faded to white.

 

*

 

Dean came to with a shuddering gasp. He turned his head – Gabriel was there, with his eyes closed. As Dean watched, Gabe opened his eyes and smiled at Dean. 

“Welcome to the world of the living. Or the not-demon, I should say, I guess.”

Dean got to his feet, shakily. He tried to stand, and his legs collapsed under him. He hit the floor of the cell hard, on his knees.

“Ah, sorry about that, I should've caught you.” Gabe slid one of Dean's arms across his own shoulders and pulled him to his feet. With Gabe's help, Dean took a few tentative steps.

He had been watching, trapped in his cell for so long, that it was something like learning to walk again. Dean ran a hand back through his hair, the other wrapped around Gabe for balance.

Dean looked around the small room, with only its integral bench-slash-bed. “So this is Heaven's prison, huh?”

Gabe nodded.

“Where do I go, if I have to take a leak?” Dean tried on one of his old smiles, but it felt ill-fitting and artificial on his face, and he stopped trying.

“Right! Sorry! This wasn't meant for humans. It was fine, when you were a demon, which, in all fairness to us, you were, until quite recently. But I guess we've got to find you other accommodations. Please hold.” Gabriel stared off into the middle distance, while Dean clung to his waist. 

Dean wondered if there was anything he was supposed to be doing.

“Hmm. Bit of a problem.” Gabe's eyes refocused. “Seems we don't have any cells made specifically for humans, and there's kind of a rule about not letting you into your heaven before you're, you know, actually dead.”

Dean laughed. “I have a heaven? After... after what I did to Sam?” The laughter faded from his face.

“That wasn't you, Dean. _You_ were trapped in the cell. _You_ didn't have any control of what the demon did. Of _course_ you have a heaven. It's a good one, too, I've visited it more than once.”

Dean side-eyed Gabe. “I don't suppose you can tell me about it?”

“No can do, buckaroo. So we've got you some accommodations topside. Now, the powers that be...” Gabe rolled his eyes. “Are concerned with you going rogue. That whole Mark of Cain thing. They're not sure how dangerous you're going to turn out to be. So they've assigned me to watch over you. So I can just zap your ass back here, pronto, if the need arises.”

Dean frowned. “You... you sorted this all out in the ten seconds that you zoned out there for?”

“Of course.” Gabe flashed Dean a grin. “Angel Radio is a whole lot faster than Wi-Fi, let me tell you.” 

Gabriel touched Dean's forehead, and suddenly, they were somewhere else.

“Welcome, to Chez Gabe!”

Dean looked around. It appeared to be a somewhat small, though quite cozy cabin. The walls were peeled logs, and the bare wooden floor had several rugs. Dean could see a bedroom and a bathroom, off the main area. There was a modern kitchen, with a small dining nook. There were lights on the end tables, a comfy couch, and a large, flat television. It was a whole, _whole_ lot nicer than the dumps Dean usually stayed in. There was white snow, beyond the windows.

“Wh... where are we, Gabe?”

Gabriel walked Dean to the couch, and helped him to sit. It was soft and squashy and incredibly comfortable. “Best you don't know. I can tell you, though, that we're in the middle of bloody nowhere. I can tell you that the builders, the guys who ran the power lines and water and stuff, they _hated_ the architects. And I can tell you that short of a cruise liner or a plane, it's gonna be tricky to get back to the bunker.”

_The bunker._

“W-where's Sam, Gabe? Where's Cas?”

Gabriel squinched up his face and stared critically at Dean, as though trying to decide what to tell him. “Cassie and Sam are in the bunker. They chose to stay there. Well, _Sam_ chose to stay there, and whatever Sam wants, Cassie gives him.”

“Is... is Sam okay?” Dean's eyes were wide and fearful. 

Gabriel sat down on the couch beside Dean. “Sam's messed up, Dean. Seriously messed up. That demon did a number on him, man. Well,” Gabriel shrugged. “You saw. You know.”

Dean swallowed hard, and his eyes filled with tears.

“Look, look.” Gabriel touched Dean's arm lightly. “Cas is with him. Cas stays with him, all the time. And he's getting better. But it's gonna be a long, long road, for poor Sammy.”

Dean nodded, his mouth pressed shut, and tried to blink back his tears.

“Hey. It's okay, man. You're allowed to cry. Right now, you're fighting it so hard that it's giving _me_ a headache. And I can't even _get_ headaches. So you go ahead, and let it out.”

A tear slipped down Dean's cheek. He didn't want to cry, because he was afraid that if he started, he'd never stop.

 

*

 

Sam had fallen asleep against Castiel as they watched the movie, as he often did. But Castiel knew that sleeping on the couch in the lounge was hard on Sam's back, and so he reluctantly woke him.

“Sam” Castiel's voice was soft, and Sam's brows scrunched together. Sam's arms gripped Castiel a little tighter. Sam was always like this, upon waking, clingy and not wanting to move or get up. Castiel wasn't sure if it was how he had been before, or if this behaviour was caused by having been woken abruptly too many times, only to be tortured.

“Sam.” Castiel's voice was a little firmer. Sam sighed.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes. Up. Use the washroom, and then we can go to bed.” Sam got to his feet, grumbling under his breath, his hair mussed. He tottered off towards the washroom adjoining his bedroom. Castiel tidied the lounge, and turned the movie off, before following Sam.

Castiel laid down under the blankets on Sam's bed, waiting for him to finish. He wasn't sure how to broach the topic of Dean with him, but he felt he owed Sam an explanation of what was happening. 

Gabriel had been keeping Castiel informed, and he knew that Gabriel and Dean had been settled into a cabin in Sweden. That Dean was conscious, awake, and interacting well with Gabriel. That Dean harboured tremendous pain and guilt over what had been done to Sam.

Sam emerged from the washroom in his t-shirt and sleep pants, and crawled into bed beside Castiel, snuggling up against him, his head on Castiel's shoulder.

“Sam...” Castiel began.

“Yeah, Cas?” Sam yawned hugely.

“I... I don't mean to upset you, but I have news... of your brother.”

Sam sat bolt upright, his heart hammering.

“No, no, it's... it's all right. Gabriel visited him, and discovered that Dean, the old Dean, your brother Dean, was still inside. That the demon had kept him in a cage of sorts.”

Sam's eyes widened. “D-Dean was in there? The... the whole time?”

Castiel nodded, “Yes. He was trapped. He witnessed everything that... was done to you. The cage he was in was very strong, and he had no way to escape.”

Sam began to tremble.

“We, Gabriel and myself, performed the ritual of consecrated blood, and managed to drive the demon from him. He... he did not emerge well, after the treatment.”

Sam frowned, confused. “What does that mean, Cas?”

“He was in a sort of coma, trapped, and reliving the memories of what the demon did to you. Gabriel told me it was very real, for him, and he was convinced that it was him that was torturing you. Gabriel managed to pull him from his memories. Heaven agreed that he should be relocated back to Earth, to recover and be monitored. They assigned Gabriel as his caretaker.”

Sam looked arrested. “Where's my brother, Cas?” Castiel felt a confused mix of love, longing, and terror coming from Sam.

“He's approximately four thousand, six hundred, and ninety seven point six miles away. I'm not permitted to tell you exactly where he is. I'm sorry, Sam.”

Sam lowered himself back to rest against Castiel's shoulder, his heart still beating fast.

“Dean... needs time. He's badly traumatized, as you are. He suffers under huge burdens of pain and guilt. Heaven is not certain how much of a threat he poses, as he still bears the Mark of Cain. He's isolated, with Gabriel, as he attempts to heal. I'm sure, in time, you will meet again, if it is your wish.”

Sam shivered. “I... I don't know, Cas.”

Castiel nodded, his cheek against Sam's hair. “I understand. This decision does not need to be made now, or any time in the foreseeable future. For now, you need to rest and recover. Rest, Sam.” Castiel's arm wrapped around Sam's back.

Sam nodded, adrenaline fading, and sleep seemed to sweep over him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finding followups don't need to be 50,000 words. :)
> 
> Hope this wrapped things up for you guys.

Dean and Gabriel settled into a sort of pattern, at Chez Gabe, as Gabriel insisted on calling it. Dean kept mostly to himself, reluctant to talk, and Gabriel hovered, while trying not to appear to be hovering.

Dean spent a lot of time staring at a wall, or at the blank television, or at the credits of whatever movie had just played, that he couldn't even remember watching. He broke down frequently, sobbing into his hands, inconsolable.

Dean barely slept, because when he did, he was thrust right back into scenes of torturing his brother.

Dean had woken up one night, vomiting over the edge of the bed, after having watched himself making Sam lick up his own blood.

Gabriel cleaned the vomit, and got up from his chair to sit beside Dean on the bed. He placed a gentle hand against Dean's leg. “Dean. It wasn't you, dude. It's just memories, is all. It wasn't you.”

Dean choked on his sob. “Does... does Sammy know that?”

“Yeah, he does, Deano. Cassie told him about the cage you were trapped in.”

Dean looked down at his hands, that had so recently, in his dream, held Sam's head so tightly as he had shoved... Dean tried to push the thought, the memory, away. He sat up.

“D-do you think he could ever f-forgive me, Gabe?”

Gabriel sighed. “I dunno, Deano. Maybe. Do you think you'll ever be able to forgive yourself?”

Dean shook his head, and began to cry in earnest. Gabriel sighed, shifted a little closer to Dean, and pulled him into a hug. Dean seemed to crumple, his barriers broken, no longer pushing Gabriel away. He sobbed into Gabriel's shoulder. “The... the things I did to him, Gabe...”

Gabriel whispered. “The demon, not you.”

“But it was my body! My hands, and my voice, and...” Dean sobbed uncontrollably. “How... how can he ever look at me again, without seeing that??”

Gabriel shook his head sadly, gently running his hand up and down Dean's back. “All I can say to you, Dean, is what I've heard from Cassie. I haven't had a whole lot of experience with how your brother handles high-stress situations.” Gabriel corrected himself. “Well, not high-stress situations like _that_. But, man, the light that Cassie says shines from Sam – he's convinced that there's not much that Sam won't be able to forgive.”

Gabriel hesitated, not sure whether to mention what Castiel had told him. He decided to go for it. “You know that Cassie can feel emotions. Well, what Cas reported that Sammy kept on feeling, under the pain and the fear, was love. Love, and concern. Not for himself, but for Cas, and for you. Your brother still loves you, Dean, I'm sure of it.”

Dean, who had managed to dial back his sobbing into tearful sniffles, broke into fresh bouts of crying as Gabriel finished speaking. Gabriel held him tight.

“Look.” Gabriel pulled back a little, and wiped the tears from Dean's cheeks. “If you want, I can put you into a dreamless sleep. Let you get some rest – a break from the nightmares. I could hypothetically wipe the memory of the entire time you were possessed from you, but I don't think you want me to do that.”

Dean croaked, “No. But the sleep sounds good, thanks, Gabe.” Dean laid back on his pillow, his eyes closed, tears still slipping from beneath them.

“No problem, man.” Gabriel applied his powers until Dean was deeply unconscious, and his breathing was deeper and more regular than it had been since they removed the demon.

Gabriel returned to his chair, watching over Dean silently.

 

*

 

Sam thought that Castiel was very good at staying close when he needed him, and giving him a little space when he wanted to think. Sam sat in the bunker's library, a book open, but forgotten, in his hands.

 _Dean... had been trapped. He was trapped, and he had to watch the demon use his body, his words, and his mind, to abuse me._ Sam swallowed back his horror. _It wasn't Dean. It was never Dean._

Sam tried to imagine the situation reversed – watching himself torture and rape his brother, and having no control. Sam lurched to the bathroom off the library and vomited.

Castiel appeared behind him. “Sam. Are you all right?”

Sam stood, and moved to the sink. “Y-yeah, Cas, thanks. I... I was just thinking.” Sam rinsed his mouth, and washed his hands. Sam stared at himself in the mirror above the sink.

The sharp edges of his face had softened again, and the dark circles were gone from beneath his eyes. There were no bruises on him, but Sam remembered a ring of purple around his throat.

“C-Cas... did you say that Dean was feeling guilty?” Sam's eyes shifted to Castiel's, in the mirror.

Castiel nodded. “Profoundly. Gabriel reports that Dean still suffers from dreams, terrible dreams, where he's torturing you and is unable to stop. Not as if he is in a cage, watching the demon do it, but if it were actually himself holding the whip.”

Sam dry-heaved into the sink, and Castiel rested a soothing hand on his lower back.

“I... I need to go to him, Cas. I have to tell him that it's not his fault.”

“One moment, please.” Castiel closed his eyes, and reopened them a few seconds later.

“Your brother would like to see you, Sam.”

 

*

 

Dean sat on the couch, his hands twisting anxiously together. Gabriel sat down beside him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

Dean was whispering frantically. “He hates me. He's gonna tell me to stay out of his life. He's never gonna want to see me again. He hates...”

 _“Dean.”_ Gabriel put a little more sternness into his voice than he usually did. “Do I need to roofie you, to get you through this??”

Dean shook his head, but his breathing was still rapid and shallow. Gabriel sighed.

Quite suddenly, Sam and Castiel appeared in the living area, in front of the television, in front of where Dean and Gabriel were sitting.

Dean and Sam's eyes snapped to one another.

Dean sank from the couch onto his knees before his brother, his eyes filling with tears. “S-Sammy.” A sob choked its way from Dean's throat. “I-I'm so sorry.”

Sam went from deathly still to fast movement, slipping to his knees in front of his brother, wrapping his arms around Dean and holding him tight. Sam pressed his face into his brother's neck.

“D-Dean. It... it wasn't you. It was never you.” Tears fell from Sam's eyes, as well, staining Dean's shirt.

Dean's arms came up around Sam's back, and he held on for dear life, sobbing, unable to speak.

“It... it's okay, Dean. We're okay. It wasn't you. Please, don't feel guilty.” Sam's voice was heartbroken, filled with concern for his brother.

“S-Sammy...” Dean couldn't force any more words out, but he had to. “P-please, f-forgive me.”

Sam pulled back a little, and pressed his forehead against Dean's. Tear-filled green met tear-filled hazel. Sam swallowed hard. “There's... there's nothing to forgive, Dean, because _it wasn't you_.”

The two brothers clutched each other tight, both crying hard.

The two angels cried, as well.

 

*

 

Gabriel found the four of them a slightly bigger cabin, which he still insisted was called Chez Gabe. This time, he had three people rolling their eyes at him.

Castiel was glad to see Sam's dependence on him wane a little, as he spent more time with his brother. Sam didn't seem to need as many small touches and reassurances throughout the day, though he still slept pressed along Castiel's side, his head pillowed on Castiel's shoulder.

Gabriel was glad to see that Dean's dreams were fading in the light of Sam's obvious love and forgiveness. He was sleeping better, without Gabriel needing to put him down, and gaining back a little of his old humour. Dean seemed to be finding some forgiveness, for himself, as well.

The two sets of brothers spent a great deal of time talking and reminiscing. They argued about which movie to watch, and what food to cook. Sam butted heads with Gabriel about the inclusion of a dessert with _every_ meal. They played video games and accused one another of cheating.

Sam and Dean laughed themselves stupid as Castiel recounted Gabriel's creation of the platypus. Gabriel, for his part, maintained that the platypus was an amazing creature. “And the males have these spurs on their legs, that deliver venom! ... what?? Why are you laughing??” Gabriel sulked for two days, after the boys had laughed at his favourite creation.

There was one incident, where Sam came into the living area wearing only his sleep pants. Dean saw his brother's chest, and promptly crumpled to the floor, tears streaming down his face, apologies on his lips. Sam tried to shush him, to calm him, but the only way Dean would calm was when Castiel laid his hand over Sam's brand, and caused it to heal to smooth, unblemished skin. Dean insisted on seeing that Castiel's had been repaired, as well, which it had, but Dean was quiet and distant for the rest of the evening.

Slowly, the boys fell into more regular patterns of interaction. There were fewer pained silences, fewer meltdowns, and less need for tight hugs and frantic reassurances. There were more utterances of “Bitch!” and “Jerk!”

They decided, the four of them, not to return to the bunker, the site of too many harmful memories. They stayed in Sweden, though Dean maintained it was far too cold. Sam and Dean did a few small hunting jobs, closely monitored by Castiel and Gabriel, who remained invisible.

Dean's Mark of Cain seemed to be dormant.

Together, the boys built a life, their angels by their sides, from the ashes of a horrible tragedy.


End file.
